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DefenceFederal Politics
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Western Australia misses out on lucrative full-cycle docking of the Navy’s Collins Class submarines
Lanai ScarrThe West Australian
Thu, 16 September 2021 8:59AMComments - Lanai Scarr
Western Australia will miss out on the lucrative full-cycle docking of the Navy’s Collins Class submarines. Credit: RICHARD WAINWRIGHT/AAPIMAGE
Western Australia will miss out on the lucrative full-cycle docking of the Navy’s Collins Class submarines.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison this morning announced full cycle docking would remain in South Australia.
He said he had telephoned Premier Mark McGowan to advise him of this decision and it was made for “continuity” in line
with the major nuclear submarine announcement and defence deal with the UK and US today.
The contract to conduct full cycle docking on the Collins Class fleet is estimated to be worth around $9 billion and was
expected to support hundreds of jobs.
The Prime Minister in June refused to confirm the contract had been handed to SA and senior Liberals said at the time no
decision had been made.
Scott
Morrison telephoned Premier Mark McGowan to advise him of this decision. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian
Premier McGowan also said FCD in WA was the right choice and it was understood a report handed to Linda Reynolds as
Defence Minister from the Navy had recommended the move from Osborne in SA to the Henderson marine complex in
Perth
Mr McGowan said WA had also already committed significant resources towards infrastructure required to support the
needs of Defence.
“WA’s position is clear. We are ready to take on this contract and get the job done,” Mr McGowan said in June.
“Western Australia deserves this work, it is in the national interest and makes complete sense.
“We have the resources, the expertise and the infrastructure that’s needed. We’ve made a huge investment to set WA up
for this work, including training and workforce development to support the program.”
The decision on where the Life of Type Extension program would be based was due to be made by Christmas 2019 but
continued to be delayed
It is understood the delay was due to Australia pursuing the Australia-UK-US alliance and the nuclear submarine capability.
The decision not to base FCD in WA will be a blow in particular to WA Liberals who needed something positive to spruik in
the wake of the Labor State election wipeout.
Moving the Life of Type Extension program to WA was expected to create more than 3000 jobs for our State.

Peter Dutton remains silent on full-cycle docking plan
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
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The McGowan Government had long argued that it made sense to do the work in WA given the submarines were already
based at Garden Island’s HMAS Stirling.
Full-cycle docking is the most intensive servicing of the Collins-class submarines and occurs after a decade of active duty. It
involves cutting the hull and rebuilding the engines.
One option that was initially flagged is a “win-win” for both States was where the blue-collar work-force shifts to Perth
and the white-collar engineers remain in South Australia.
However under today’s announcement none of the work will move to WA.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said WA was a ‘great shipbuilding centre’ and investments in our state would continue. Credit: LUKAS
COCH/AAPIMAGE
Mr Morrison said WA was a “great shipbuilding centre” and investments in our state would continue.
The PM listed the vessels already being built in WA and announced a new large vessel dry dock capability.
“I was able to discuss these with Mr McGowan this morning. He is aware, as I am, three different classes of ships are under
construction in the West right now with more to follow over the coming decades - 10 class offshore patrol vessels, 21
guardian class patrol boats, six evolved cape class patrol boats, up to eight new mine counter measure and military survey
vessels, an ice-rated replacement for a protector, a salvage vessel and ships for the undersea surveillance system,” Mr
Morrison said.
“Western Australia will continue to play a key role in sustaining navy's fleet with Collins class submarine intermediate and
mid-cycle docking continuing.
“The government will work with the Western Australian government as we discussed this morning to invest in a large dry
dock at Henderson which will enable naval and commercial vessels from around Australia and the region to be maintained
in the West for decades to come.”
The government will work with the Western Australian government as we discussed this morning to invest in a large dry
dock at Henderson
Mr Morrison said there were more jobs going into WA “than FCD was ever going to deliver to Western Australia”.
“I mean, the large list of projects that I read out to you far exceed those types of programs,” he said.
“The decision that is necessary to keep Australians best safe is for the full cycle docking to be undertaken in South
Australia to maintain the continuity of what has been achieved by the team that has been engaging in that process in
South Australia. One of the reasons that we have been able to secure access to this technology is not just what I
mentioned about the technological changes. It is about the performance of what we've been able to do with the Collins
class compared to where we were a decade ago.”
Mr Morrison said the continuity had “significantly bolstered the confidence in Australia to manage submarines. And that
has assisted us to get to this decision (on nuclear submarines) today”.
Maintaining full cycle docking in South Australia was “strategically the right decision and that was the advice that we had
received but there are many other projects that we're pursuing in Western Australia”.
“There will be a lot of ships built in Western Australia by West Australians and they'll be equally putting their shoulder to
the wheel to that national task,” he said.